Cellar Door
“Writers Write.” I was told that by an accomplished author many years ago. His point was that the human mind needs to create. If a person is to remain in balance they must feed that creative need. The outlet can come in a multitude of ways. Music, art, cooking, building, theatrics and so on to the ends of imagination. For writers, they need to write so they write.
I always wanted to “be” a writer, but each time I started to take it seriously, a dark part of me escaped into the writing and then into my life. Plus, it was hard work. The stories came easily, but each story required rewriting, rewriting and more rewriting to get every word “working”. Then the inevitable realization that your best was not yet good enough. OUCH!! Now I see another truth. I might want to write, but I didn’t need to write.
All my creative needs were being met in other ways. Teaching was a gigantic outlet, until I went to C Fred. As a teacher, I was loud, messy and often kept a dull subject interesting by outlandish presentations. If jumping on a table and doing a dance livened up verb formation, so much the better. Since much of History is about insanity, it requires insane action to make it live. My classes “claimed” the New World by planting a flag and claiming a part of the classroom. When several claims to the exact same set of desks became evident, we solved the problem. Given the fact that Governments have the same patience and tolerance of fifth graders, the solution was pretty evident. Who hits who the hardest has the most legitimate claim to the desks {land} .
Want to get kids attention? Rip a dollar bill into quarters, another into tenths and a third into twentieths and have a discussion about fractions and money. You’ve just invested three dollar, and yes, some of the kids remember the destruction of money and miss the point, but a lot more have a sudden interest in learning.
At any rate, my need for creativity was expressed through teaching until we were all moved to C. Fred. The lack of walls made my methods annoying to everyone else.
Which made me miserable.
Which made me crave writing.
Which made me a serious writer for about a year. My rejection slips went from preprinted “ You’ve got to be kidding!!” to handwritten “ Sorry we can’t use this piece of writing, but please send us more.” But by that time, I had found the shop a C Fred and basketball at C Fred and a way to get back to my old methods and I no longer needed to write.
When I retired, I assumed part of my time would be spent writing. Instead, I tried insanity for several years. The cure for that, rather than a bottle of pills, was to spend a long time with Dr. Hall learning why I was nuts in the first place. Remarkably, ( or not surprisingly) it also sent my lifetime dark companion someplace far away. One of the few old friends I do not miss.
At present, when I am in the middle of doing boring, mundane chore type jobs, my creative needs are met by writing. Part of that writing is this -- whatever this is--. But often creative needs are met in building projects that capture my interest. This summer it was an entertainment center, a set of shelves, a cage for the zoo and my cellar door. I know the title of this is cellar door and it’s what this started to be about, but sometimes things don’t turn out the way we planned. The cellar door story will come later. So, if a period of time passes without a new entry, rejoice because it just means the balance of life is being met in another fashion.
And I cannot claim to be a writer because “Writer’s write.”
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
JUST SOME SILLY LITTLE NOTES
1. We bought an umbrella last week. Every choice listed “waterproof” as its top selling point. Really? What would the market be for non waterproof umbrellas?
2. Each morning, as soon as they are done eating, the cats demand access to the back porch where they each grab a post and sharpen their claws, readying themselves for another ferocious day of stalking. I just don’t have the heart to tell them they were declawed as kittens.
3. Are all you summer worshippers happy now?
4. Tuesday night we had an incredible storm. It was the heaviest rain I have seen in years. Early on a large branch fell from our tree into the road. I called the police as a safety precaution, then stood on the front porch to watch. The wind was bending the tree left and right and I really feared the rest would come down. Meanwhile cars were getting by both sides of the branch without much difficulty. Along come an old beater and out jumps a young guy. He was beyond soaked in ten seconds, but he still pulled the limb from the street to the sidewalk. Now, was this a very nice thing to do, sacrificing your dryness for the common good, or was this incredibly stupid because a really gigantic tree could have flattened him at any second?
5. While we are on the topic of the street. Each Sunday night into Monday morning we put our garbage out. This includes a big yellow recycling bin. Why am I always picking up discarded beer bottles from the front lawn? Someone has to either throw the bottle over the recycling bin to reach the lawn, or if they are walking, they need deliberately turn right to chuck the bottle, instead of dropping it in the bin. How come?
6. If we just spent 60 trillion dollars on a stimulus, how come there is no money to repair roads or do infrastructure “stuff”?
7. I have a “to read” bookshelf that sags badly. I made up my mind to start doing some serious reading and get that shelf level. Last week I read 4 books. Why did I add six more to the shelf?
8. Last week I went to the doctor for my checkup. My blood pressure was 122/70. My blood work showed I have the risk factors of a 17 year old, and when I did my yearly timed mile, I completed it in 13:46 which is only 16 seconds longer than twenty years ago. I still wear 34/30 slacks, which is exactly the same size I wore in high school. I must admit they don’t fit as well. It is not that the waist is too small, they are too long. Somehow I am shorter than I used to be.
9. The big result of the DR. visit was that I have not had a colonoscopy. But since I have no family history and no problems, we could do a Fecal blood sample test. This involved three consecutive days of -- well you can figure it out. But apparently I couldn’t because I got a call from the Dr. saying I had screwed up the test and I needed to repeat it.
And finally 10 Why is it that as soon as I say someone is going to be a big hit in the NFL this year they A) blow a tendon and are out for the season (Giant’s rookie running back) or B) Revert back to being a tackling dummy during games (David Carr)?
1. We bought an umbrella last week. Every choice listed “waterproof” as its top selling point. Really? What would the market be for non waterproof umbrellas?
2. Each morning, as soon as they are done eating, the cats demand access to the back porch where they each grab a post and sharpen their claws, readying themselves for another ferocious day of stalking. I just don’t have the heart to tell them they were declawed as kittens.
3. Are all you summer worshippers happy now?
4. Tuesday night we had an incredible storm. It was the heaviest rain I have seen in years. Early on a large branch fell from our tree into the road. I called the police as a safety precaution, then stood on the front porch to watch. The wind was bending the tree left and right and I really feared the rest would come down. Meanwhile cars were getting by both sides of the branch without much difficulty. Along come an old beater and out jumps a young guy. He was beyond soaked in ten seconds, but he still pulled the limb from the street to the sidewalk. Now, was this a very nice thing to do, sacrificing your dryness for the common good, or was this incredibly stupid because a really gigantic tree could have flattened him at any second?
5. While we are on the topic of the street. Each Sunday night into Monday morning we put our garbage out. This includes a big yellow recycling bin. Why am I always picking up discarded beer bottles from the front lawn? Someone has to either throw the bottle over the recycling bin to reach the lawn, or if they are walking, they need deliberately turn right to chuck the bottle, instead of dropping it in the bin. How come?
6. If we just spent 60 trillion dollars on a stimulus, how come there is no money to repair roads or do infrastructure “stuff”?
7. I have a “to read” bookshelf that sags badly. I made up my mind to start doing some serious reading and get that shelf level. Last week I read 4 books. Why did I add six more to the shelf?
8. Last week I went to the doctor for my checkup. My blood pressure was 122/70. My blood work showed I have the risk factors of a 17 year old, and when I did my yearly timed mile, I completed it in 13:46 which is only 16 seconds longer than twenty years ago. I still wear 34/30 slacks, which is exactly the same size I wore in high school. I must admit they don’t fit as well. It is not that the waist is too small, they are too long. Somehow I am shorter than I used to be.
9. The big result of the DR. visit was that I have not had a colonoscopy. But since I have no family history and no problems, we could do a Fecal blood sample test. This involved three consecutive days of -- well you can figure it out. But apparently I couldn’t because I got a call from the Dr. saying I had screwed up the test and I needed to repeat it.
And finally 10 Why is it that as soon as I say someone is going to be a big hit in the NFL this year they A) blow a tendon and are out for the season (Giant’s rookie running back) or B) Revert back to being a tackling dummy during games (David Carr)?
Saturday, August 15, 2009
My World Explained
If I had only known it was this simple. On Tuesday we went to Dr. Hall for our monthly tune up. While waiting in his office, I read a Financial Magazine that revealed the mysteries of the world. “We are hardwired to make stupid mistakes.”
That explains so much about my life. When I was four, we moved into the “new” house on Baldwin Street. While everyone else worked hard at getting settled in, they stuck me in the big wooden bed, right next to the lamp featuring Little Boy Blue. Since no one else was paying any attention to me, I figured I might as well get some attention from Little Blue. I pulled the lamp into bed with me, fascinated myself unscrewing the bulb, played with the on off switch and then stuck my finger into the opening. I don’t remember the reaction, just the jolt up the arm.
A few years later, I decided to stick my finger into the wringer washing machine and was most surprised when the washer did not treat me with any more respect than the wet sheets. Now while one might think that would put an end to sticking my fingers where they didn’t belong, one would be badly mistaken.
While Kenny Mack furiously tredled on my mother’s old sewing machine, once again my finger found its way into trouble, this time going under the needle and getting stuck there. The needle passed through the back of my finger and left a dent on the underside of my finger nail. At the time I questioned how I could be so dumb. Now I understand. “We are hardwired to make stupid mistakes.”
As a young, highly responsible college student, how did I decide sophomore Billy Hilbert would make a much better faculty adviser than the guy with twenty years on the faculty? Why, when Vinnie Wagnor crawled into a gigantic truck tire and rolled it down the hill, did I decide tackling it would be a good idea? Why wear the cast for three weeks? Two days is good enough. Ripple? What paper? I missed that class. Library or downtown?
The list goes on, but you get the idea. We are hardwired to make stupid mistakes.
When we finally did get into Dr. Hall, we wound up discussing how people choose to be numb. The incessant noise from entertainment, cell phone, texting, and so on makes it impossible to be alone with your thoughts. To be aware of who you are. So, the next day we went to New York to see Wicked. One of the first lines was ,”Life is painless, when your brainless.” I loved it. As to the show, forget great music, great singing, great staging. Concentrate on what a spectacular story line and message this show has.
If I had only known it was this simple. On Tuesday we went to Dr. Hall for our monthly tune up. While waiting in his office, I read a Financial Magazine that revealed the mysteries of the world. “We are hardwired to make stupid mistakes.”
That explains so much about my life. When I was four, we moved into the “new” house on Baldwin Street. While everyone else worked hard at getting settled in, they stuck me in the big wooden bed, right next to the lamp featuring Little Boy Blue. Since no one else was paying any attention to me, I figured I might as well get some attention from Little Blue. I pulled the lamp into bed with me, fascinated myself unscrewing the bulb, played with the on off switch and then stuck my finger into the opening. I don’t remember the reaction, just the jolt up the arm.
A few years later, I decided to stick my finger into the wringer washing machine and was most surprised when the washer did not treat me with any more respect than the wet sheets. Now while one might think that would put an end to sticking my fingers where they didn’t belong, one would be badly mistaken.
While Kenny Mack furiously tredled on my mother’s old sewing machine, once again my finger found its way into trouble, this time going under the needle and getting stuck there. The needle passed through the back of my finger and left a dent on the underside of my finger nail. At the time I questioned how I could be so dumb. Now I understand. “We are hardwired to make stupid mistakes.”
As a young, highly responsible college student, how did I decide sophomore Billy Hilbert would make a much better faculty adviser than the guy with twenty years on the faculty? Why, when Vinnie Wagnor crawled into a gigantic truck tire and rolled it down the hill, did I decide tackling it would be a good idea? Why wear the cast for three weeks? Two days is good enough. Ripple? What paper? I missed that class. Library or downtown?
The list goes on, but you get the idea. We are hardwired to make stupid mistakes.
When we finally did get into Dr. Hall, we wound up discussing how people choose to be numb. The incessant noise from entertainment, cell phone, texting, and so on makes it impossible to be alone with your thoughts. To be aware of who you are. So, the next day we went to New York to see Wicked. One of the first lines was ,”Life is painless, when your brainless.” I loved it. As to the show, forget great music, great singing, great staging. Concentrate on what a spectacular story line and message this show has.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Twenty Dollar Theology
I have come to believe that all life is a journey in which we are supposed to learn certain things. If we don’t get it the first, or second, or third time, it will come to us a fourth and fifth and so on. I quickly admit that I spent the first 57 years of my life not realizing this, then I spent 3 years of my life insane, but once I “woke up” the last three years have been filled with miracles. Sometimes, like the Lobster Hat Man in Maui, it was a big deal, sometimes, like last week it has been a gentle reminder of the path I need to stay on.
So anyway, here is the story. Last week we went to Philadelphia for a concert and some museum time. We stayed in South Philadelphia and very early one morning I went down to the lobby for free coffee. Sitting next to the pot, was a crumpled up newspaper section that seemed to be published only in South Philly. Desperate for reading material to rinse down the coffee, I grabbed the remnant of paper and sat down to read, but quickly discovered it contained only one complete article. It was a column apparently written by a local minister. With a large amount of paraphrasing, this is the article.
How many people out there would like me to give them a crisp new twenty dollar bill? I bet most of you. But what if I wrinkle it up? Step on it? Get some mud on it? Wear down the corners? What if I get it soaking wet and when it dries out it looks all worn and beat up?
Still want it? Of course, because no matter how hard it was used, it still has a value of twenty dollars. It doesn’t lose its value.
But how many of you feel like you have lost your value? How many of you feel “not good enough”? Maybe you have been “used hard and put away wet”. Maybe “friends” or coworkers have told you, you weren’t good enough. Maybe family members have thrown you away.
As you read this, remember that twenty dollar bill. In God’s eyes you were born with great value. Nothing that has happened to you, no matter how beaten up, no matter how bent, no matter how unworthy you feel can ever lesson your value. And if God sees you that way, guess what? All those other people are just wrong. Go and celebrate the value that is you.
I have come to believe that all life is a journey in which we are supposed to learn certain things. If we don’t get it the first, or second, or third time, it will come to us a fourth and fifth and so on. I quickly admit that I spent the first 57 years of my life not realizing this, then I spent 3 years of my life insane, but once I “woke up” the last three years have been filled with miracles. Sometimes, like the Lobster Hat Man in Maui, it was a big deal, sometimes, like last week it has been a gentle reminder of the path I need to stay on.
So anyway, here is the story. Last week we went to Philadelphia for a concert and some museum time. We stayed in South Philadelphia and very early one morning I went down to the lobby for free coffee. Sitting next to the pot, was a crumpled up newspaper section that seemed to be published only in South Philly. Desperate for reading material to rinse down the coffee, I grabbed the remnant of paper and sat down to read, but quickly discovered it contained only one complete article. It was a column apparently written by a local minister. With a large amount of paraphrasing, this is the article.
How many people out there would like me to give them a crisp new twenty dollar bill? I bet most of you. But what if I wrinkle it up? Step on it? Get some mud on it? Wear down the corners? What if I get it soaking wet and when it dries out it looks all worn and beat up?
Still want it? Of course, because no matter how hard it was used, it still has a value of twenty dollars. It doesn’t lose its value.
But how many of you feel like you have lost your value? How many of you feel “not good enough”? Maybe you have been “used hard and put away wet”. Maybe “friends” or coworkers have told you, you weren’t good enough. Maybe family members have thrown you away.
As you read this, remember that twenty dollar bill. In God’s eyes you were born with great value. Nothing that has happened to you, no matter how beaten up, no matter how bent, no matter how unworthy you feel can ever lesson your value. And if God sees you that way, guess what? All those other people are just wrong. Go and celebrate the value that is you.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
New York Giants
Three days after Christmas of 1958, I was playing with all my new Christmas toys, of which I remember none. What I do remember was that playing on the radio was a football game. During that season I had watched most of the Giants football games on TV because we got one channel and that was what was on. I don’t remember being particularly inspired or fascinated. For whatever reason, the Championship game was not carried on local TV, at least on the channel we got. So, I listened to the radio. The results are well known. The Colt’s Allen Ameche plunged over from the one yard line to win the first overtime Championship game in NFL history. Oddly enough, it was the Gaints that gained a lifetime fan..
So today the blog that no one asked for, no one wants and has a value exactly worth what you are paying for it. The 2009 evaluation of the New York Giants. (Truth in advertising time. For the last forty years I have predicted the Giants would be in the Super Bowl. I have been right four times. Oddly, that makes me one of the most accurate predictors in the business.)
When I first wrote this, I found I used the phrase “barring injuries” 17 times. So let’s just assume barring injuries. Oddly the one place I think the Giants might be stronger with an injury is quarterback. Not that Manning is doing badly, but now that Carr is not a high paid punching bag, he is playing very, very well. At this position the giants are set.
At running back, Jacobs has conditioned himself to 5% body fat and has spent the winter using boxing training for conditioning. He is quicker, more coordinated and better conditioned than ever. I still think he will miss at least half the season with injuries. That means whoever emerges as the back up will be very important. So far, by consistently missing blitz pickups, Bradshaw has shown he can make Carr an instant starter. Ware may be the answer because everyone is thrilled with his potential, but many “great potential” Giants wind up selling used cars in Newark. I think by the season end, the just drafted Rookie will be the back up/starter.
The Offensive Line is set and can withstand one or two short term injuries. More than that an start looking at 2010.
I know the biggest concern is with receivers. I think the biggest concern should be can the coaches use the receivers they have intelligently? Last year, teams had to be aware of Buress all the time.
That made everybody else’s job easier. When he went out, others did not step up. One of the problems is that a team spends all year putting in plays to capitalize on the strengths of players. An entire play book was built around Burress as a receiver or a decoy. To be fair, no team could rewrite their book in the last 6 weeks of the season, so they tried to substitute people without Burress’s skill to fill in. They couldn’t do that. This year they have had time to rewrite the book and let the receivers they have do the things they do best. I am especially interested in seeing Ramse Barden, their 6’6’’ rookie. Imagining him lined up in the slot, covered by a second string corner just makes me warm all over.
Over on Defense, the line is set and should be a nightmare for other teams, the secondary is as strong as I can ever remember. (Full apologies to Patterson who I was ready to run out of town at the start of last year.) The problem will be at linebacker. How long will Pierce hold up? Can Clark play better in coverage this year, and until Boley is ready to step in, who plays the other side? This is the position to watch the closest, as it will be a tough fight all year. I think it is safe to say the Giants season will be just as good as this group.
On special teams, the Giants should be strong, except I think their field goal kicker will lose at least one close game for them. If he wins one close one then it is all equal in the end.
So there you have a totally inexpert, worthless evaluation. As to the prediction, big surprise, the Giants will be in the Super Bowl.
Three days after Christmas of 1958, I was playing with all my new Christmas toys, of which I remember none. What I do remember was that playing on the radio was a football game. During that season I had watched most of the Giants football games on TV because we got one channel and that was what was on. I don’t remember being particularly inspired or fascinated. For whatever reason, the Championship game was not carried on local TV, at least on the channel we got. So, I listened to the radio. The results are well known. The Colt’s Allen Ameche plunged over from the one yard line to win the first overtime Championship game in NFL history. Oddly enough, it was the Gaints that gained a lifetime fan..
So today the blog that no one asked for, no one wants and has a value exactly worth what you are paying for it. The 2009 evaluation of the New York Giants. (Truth in advertising time. For the last forty years I have predicted the Giants would be in the Super Bowl. I have been right four times. Oddly, that makes me one of the most accurate predictors in the business.)
When I first wrote this, I found I used the phrase “barring injuries” 17 times. So let’s just assume barring injuries. Oddly the one place I think the Giants might be stronger with an injury is quarterback. Not that Manning is doing badly, but now that Carr is not a high paid punching bag, he is playing very, very well. At this position the giants are set.
At running back, Jacobs has conditioned himself to 5% body fat and has spent the winter using boxing training for conditioning. He is quicker, more coordinated and better conditioned than ever. I still think he will miss at least half the season with injuries. That means whoever emerges as the back up will be very important. So far, by consistently missing blitz pickups, Bradshaw has shown he can make Carr an instant starter. Ware may be the answer because everyone is thrilled with his potential, but many “great potential” Giants wind up selling used cars in Newark. I think by the season end, the just drafted Rookie will be the back up/starter.
The Offensive Line is set and can withstand one or two short term injuries. More than that an start looking at 2010.
I know the biggest concern is with receivers. I think the biggest concern should be can the coaches use the receivers they have intelligently? Last year, teams had to be aware of Buress all the time.
That made everybody else’s job easier. When he went out, others did not step up. One of the problems is that a team spends all year putting in plays to capitalize on the strengths of players. An entire play book was built around Burress as a receiver or a decoy. To be fair, no team could rewrite their book in the last 6 weeks of the season, so they tried to substitute people without Burress’s skill to fill in. They couldn’t do that. This year they have had time to rewrite the book and let the receivers they have do the things they do best. I am especially interested in seeing Ramse Barden, their 6’6’’ rookie. Imagining him lined up in the slot, covered by a second string corner just makes me warm all over.
Over on Defense, the line is set and should be a nightmare for other teams, the secondary is as strong as I can ever remember. (Full apologies to Patterson who I was ready to run out of town at the start of last year.) The problem will be at linebacker. How long will Pierce hold up? Can Clark play better in coverage this year, and until Boley is ready to step in, who plays the other side? This is the position to watch the closest, as it will be a tough fight all year. I think it is safe to say the Giants season will be just as good as this group.
On special teams, the Giants should be strong, except I think their field goal kicker will lose at least one close game for them. If he wins one close one then it is all equal in the end.
So there you have a totally inexpert, worthless evaluation. As to the prediction, big surprise, the Giants will be in the Super Bowl.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Philadelphia
Early Tuesday morning, we ran a few errands, then hit the road for a four day vacation to culminate in a Billy Joel/ Elton John Concert at Philadelphia’s Baseball Field. We had booked a hotel within walking distance of the concert and planned to spend a day wandering through the Museums downtown, a day at the Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey and a day just touring downtown.
Despite forecasts of 90 degrees of heat and ferility, we decided to visit the Philadelphia Zoo on the way to the hotel. Of course I had Google mapped the entire place fifty times before we left, so I had a parking spot all picked out. We spent a lot of time visiting with docents who recognized animal lovers at first sight. We were clued in to all the newly born and some of the special peculiarities of each animal.
We left around 5:30 figuring the worst of the traffic was over. What I had not counted on was the inability to go directly across the street and get back on 76. A red light would have made it sooooo easy!. Instead, we had to go east on Girard Street ( never a good idea) and make a major illegal U turn. Then, once on 76 we breezed through downtown and were in great shape. All we needed to do was reach exit 350 and pull into the parking lot.
Did we do that?? Well of course not! Suddenly we are on an exit into South Philly, with no idea where we are or the Bubba Quotient of the neighborhood we are about to join.
Thank goodness, Philadelphia is laid out in a simple grid pattern and I had done enough homework to have a sense of where I was and what to do. We eventually worked our way over to the hotel.
The Art Museum in Philly is one of the best in the world. We took 76 in, got off at the right spot and found our way to the parking garage at the Art Museum. We spent a good three hours there, then bought tickets for the Phlash system that runs a regular loop to all the sights in Philly. We stopped at the Franklin Institute and toured the Star Trek Exhibit. Great fun.
We rode the trolley around downtown while a true gully washer hit Philly. About the time we reached the Art Museum to retrieve our car both the rain and the rush hour were over. We fired up the chariot and headed out to find 76 again and with it another adventure. I did have a plan but it quickly soured and we wound up on Roosevelt Avenure heading the exact opposite direction we wanted. After about an 8 mile detour we were able to make another of those U turns and find our way back to 76 headed the right direction this time.
Then of course the gods had one final little trick up their sleeves. Just as we reached the area I had gotten lost in the night before, the skys opened up and visibility dropped to the rear bumper of the car in front of us. At a ripping speed of 12 miles an hour we made our way to exit 350 and just as we got off, out came the sun.
One of the nicest things about our trip was the people working at the hotel. After I shared our first adventure about getting lost on the way there, they waited to hear our latest tribulations each night. I thought they were going to die laughing when I explained our trip up Roosevelt Ave. They all took great pains to explain how we should go to the Aquarium the next day and warned us several times to not get lost in Camden, as that was not a “nice place”
So warned we followed directions exactly and had a very uneventful trip to the Aquarium and back. The place itself was delightful and one of the best I have been in.
That night, we walked to the baseball stadium, found our seats in the next to top row of the ballpark and enjoyed a great concert. It began at 7:30 and continued nonstop until 11. Wonderful evening. As entertaining as the concert was the view was equally outstanding. From where we sat, we looked all the way downtown. We could see the steeple of Independence Hall and the Statue of Ben Franklin on City Hall.
The whole trip was as nearly perfect as we could have asked for.
Early Tuesday morning, we ran a few errands, then hit the road for a four day vacation to culminate in a Billy Joel/ Elton John Concert at Philadelphia’s Baseball Field. We had booked a hotel within walking distance of the concert and planned to spend a day wandering through the Museums downtown, a day at the Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey and a day just touring downtown.
Despite forecasts of 90 degrees of heat and ferility, we decided to visit the Philadelphia Zoo on the way to the hotel. Of course I had Google mapped the entire place fifty times before we left, so I had a parking spot all picked out. We spent a lot of time visiting with docents who recognized animal lovers at first sight. We were clued in to all the newly born and some of the special peculiarities of each animal.
We left around 5:30 figuring the worst of the traffic was over. What I had not counted on was the inability to go directly across the street and get back on 76. A red light would have made it sooooo easy!. Instead, we had to go east on Girard Street ( never a good idea) and make a major illegal U turn. Then, once on 76 we breezed through downtown and were in great shape. All we needed to do was reach exit 350 and pull into the parking lot.
Did we do that?? Well of course not! Suddenly we are on an exit into South Philly, with no idea where we are or the Bubba Quotient of the neighborhood we are about to join.
Thank goodness, Philadelphia is laid out in a simple grid pattern and I had done enough homework to have a sense of where I was and what to do. We eventually worked our way over to the hotel.
The Art Museum in Philly is one of the best in the world. We took 76 in, got off at the right spot and found our way to the parking garage at the Art Museum. We spent a good three hours there, then bought tickets for the Phlash system that runs a regular loop to all the sights in Philly. We stopped at the Franklin Institute and toured the Star Trek Exhibit. Great fun.
We rode the trolley around downtown while a true gully washer hit Philly. About the time we reached the Art Museum to retrieve our car both the rain and the rush hour were over. We fired up the chariot and headed out to find 76 again and with it another adventure. I did have a plan but it quickly soured and we wound up on Roosevelt Avenure heading the exact opposite direction we wanted. After about an 8 mile detour we were able to make another of those U turns and find our way back to 76 headed the right direction this time.
Then of course the gods had one final little trick up their sleeves. Just as we reached the area I had gotten lost in the night before, the skys opened up and visibility dropped to the rear bumper of the car in front of us. At a ripping speed of 12 miles an hour we made our way to exit 350 and just as we got off, out came the sun.
One of the nicest things about our trip was the people working at the hotel. After I shared our first adventure about getting lost on the way there, they waited to hear our latest tribulations each night. I thought they were going to die laughing when I explained our trip up Roosevelt Ave. They all took great pains to explain how we should go to the Aquarium the next day and warned us several times to not get lost in Camden, as that was not a “nice place”
So warned we followed directions exactly and had a very uneventful trip to the Aquarium and back. The place itself was delightful and one of the best I have been in.
That night, we walked to the baseball stadium, found our seats in the next to top row of the ballpark and enjoyed a great concert. It began at 7:30 and continued nonstop until 11. Wonderful evening. As entertaining as the concert was the view was equally outstanding. From where we sat, we looked all the way downtown. We could see the steeple of Independence Hall and the Statue of Ben Franklin on City Hall.
The whole trip was as nearly perfect as we could have asked for.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)